“The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’” (Luke 17:5, NET)
Can you relate to this desperate plea? I know I can! I am longing for Jesus, the Author of my faith, to ever strengthen my confidence in Him. Thankfully, He has revealed to us a number of ways to intentionally engage with the process as He takes our trust deeper.
We can find one of them in this same passage, in Jesus’ answer to the disciples’ request: “So the Lord replied, ‘If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this black mulberry tree, “Be pulled out by the roots and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you’” (v. 6).
Listen to the kindness in the tone of His voice. Jesus’ point was not to disparage their faith. He was not saying, “Get it together, guys. If you really had some faith — even a tiny bit — we’d be seeing results!” Rather, He was lovingly directing their attention to one of the main keys to seeing our faith grow: using it.
Mustard seed faith. A seed is of no use if you keep it in your pocket or on the shelf in your shed. It will only produce fruit if you activate the life inside of it. You must plant it in the ground and allow its roots to begin to grow. In the same way, we must activate our faith if we desire to see it come to fruition in our lives.
Jesus was giving a vitally important lesson to His dear friends. Practice! Flex your faith muscle! Put it to work! Use it! Speak it out! In this way, it will begin to grow. Roots will develop. As you persevere in working out your faith, you are going to see some massive obstacles pulled up out of your path and relocated in the heart of the sea.
What is a practical step you can take today to activate your faith? Do you need to make a phone call? Enroll for a class? Initiate a conversation? Declare the Word of God over your circumstance? Ask Holy Spirit to show you the next action point He has in mind for the development of your faith. He will surely answer!
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Do you sense Holy Spirit right now nudging you towards a specific faith step?
Feeding On Jesus 
This verse is interesting because it touches upon the souls capacity to see what is beyond just perceived experience. The image of the mighty oak is housed within a he seed that finds its way to Earth. Yet it does not realize it’s potential without the nurturing waters, soil, and sun that brings out its brilliance. Thank you for sharing!
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Truly what God has put inside a seed is awe-inspiring! Thank you so much, Dr. Thomas, for your thoughtful comment on this; it invites me to ponder the subject even more deeply. Bless you!
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Loved this explanation Jennifer. It really spoke to me. Bless you for being obedient to the Lord.
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Smiling gratefully for your encouragement. I receive that blessing! Sending you much love today, Manu 🤗
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Anita and I are gradually coming out of covid hibernation. We’re having two couples over for Thanxgiving dinner, neither of whom know Jesus. One couple is from Iran and likely Muslim background and the other is an unmarried duo who are atheists.
Might be some interesting conversations; pray for us.
❤️&🙏, c.a.
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How wonderful! This makes my spirit joyful. Praying right now!
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Jennifer, I enjoyed your insightful post. Many times I have found my faith, like the mustard seed, tucked away in my pocket. Thank goodness for the reminder to use it. Scott
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I am so glad you enjoyed it! The Lord’s rich blessings on the faith adventures He has ahead for you 🙂
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Excellent challenging post, thank you sister. God bless you today.
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Thank you too, Alan! I can feel that blessing 🙂
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Asking Him to bless you too!
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I know how to go out on the limb of faith. Jennifer’s shoulder, give glory to Jehovah Raphah by amazing all with swift healing. By His stripes, you were healed.
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Amen and AMEN! Thank you, Jon! It really has been steadily improving to the glory of Jesus, and I feel the strong blessing in that declaration of yours as I read it!
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Truly blessed for you to remember 🙂
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There are several interconnected paths God is showing me. Many little steps are required to move into the fullness of these hopes He has for me. Not with faith, growing it together with others through Christ, I can take those small steps. ❤️
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May He pour out His blessings on you as you move forward in each one of those little steps!
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